The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  “Well, I should probably wait until I talk to Douglas tomorrow to decide. I mean I guess I do need to have some kind of idea about this trust fund too. I think that it should be enough to cover the summer job, but I guess I really have no idea. If it isn’t, I can’t just give up the work so easily—not with school coming up shortly after.”

  Thomas was nodding his head.

  “And then there’s the issue of flying.” She sighed, thinking about it. “Well, I’m not going to let my nerves stop me. I’ll just have to get my doctor to prescribe something to knock me out for the length of the flight, I suppose.” She laughed, despite how apprehensive the idea of flying still made her.

  Thomas reached over to take her hand. “Iz, I promise you that you’ll be fine on the plane. I really do think this is a good idea—despite the fact that I’m guessing it would mean that you wouldn’t come back to meet up with me in Europe later this summer.”

  Isabella nodded her head slowly. “Oh, I’m sorry, Thomas. You’re probably right about that. But maybe I could meet you somewhere later in the year—during one of my breaks.”

  He reached over to hug her. “Yeah, I’m sure we could work something else out. I’ll be happy for you—for the fact that you’ll be meeting your family.”

  Her family. It was all still so surreal. She felt the twinge of regret for not having that chance to meet her birth mother, but knowing that that was no longer possible, she knew that knowing her grandparents would be the next best thing. And they’d tell her all about her mom. It would be so much more information than she’d ever had.

  “Thomas.”

  She said his name quietly.

  “Yes?”

  “I think I’m gonna do it.” She grinned. “I’m going to go to Italy next week and meet my grandparents.”

  Chapter 16

  Isabella walked in her front door slightly out of breath after sprinting the last several blocks to her house. She felt lighter for having made the decision. Now she just needed to double-check with Douglas about the trust fund amount, and as she heard her parents’ voices coming from the office, she was reminded that she needed to have a talk with them—to tell them about the internship. Her heart beat faster thinking about it. They had been very supportive, but this internship was a very big deal.

  She walked through the house to the office and stuck her head in the doorway.

  “Hi, guys. What are you doing?”

  “Oh, just catching up on some reading,” her father said.

  “How was your run, sweetie?” her mother asked, crossing the room to sit next to her father on the small sofa.

  “It was good.” She leaned over to hug each of them before settling into the chair across from the sofa.

  “So, I’m sorry for running out of here so fast after my phone call with Douglas. I realize that it was kind of unfair to leave you guy hanging like that.”

  She noticed her father reaching over to hold her mother’s hand as he spoke. “Honey, we understand that this is a lot for you to process. Are we curious as to what Douglas had to say? Yes, of course we are, but we don’t want to get in the way of you figuring all of this out. You just need to know that we’re here for you—that you have our support.”

  Her mother was nodding in agreement, and Isabella noticed the tears in her eyes at the same time as she felt her own. She recounted the phone conversation for the second time that day, and like Thomas, her parents seemed genuinely excited for her.

  “They certainly sound wonderful,” her mother said.

  Isabella nodded. “They also invited me to come visit—to come to Italy where Lia and Antonio—to where my grandparents live.”

  She watched her mother’s face carefully.

  “Wow. Do you think you’d be comfortable with that, honey?”

  “Yes, I do actually. I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt pretty comfortable talking to them on the phone. How would you guys feel about that?”

  She didn’t miss the quick glance between her parents.

  “Well, I’d be lying if I said that I felt completely comfortable with you traveling to Italy by yourself to meet up with people who are virtually strangers to you, but I do understand why you would want to go. Is there any way that they’d consider coming here first?”

  “No. I mean, maybe they would but I want to go.” She looked at them carefully. “I’ve decided that I’m going to go. I need to talk to Douglas tomorrow to finalize everything, but I think I’m going to go next week.” She took a deep breath as she waited for someone to speak.

  “Next week? Don’t you think that’s a little soon?” her mom said.

  “Honey, doesn’t your internship start next week?” her father asked.

  “Yeah, that’s the thing. I’m not going to do the internship after all. I haven’t officially told them yet but I’ve decided that my doing this trip is worth missing out on the internship.”

  She didn’t even have to convince herself when she said it out loud. She knew without a doubt that it was what she wanted.

  “I don’t know, Iz. Are you sure about that? Honey, you worked hard to get that internship. We hate to see you throw away the opportunity,” her father said.

  “Yeah, I know. It wasn’t exactly an easy decision.”

  “Can’t you visit them another time?” her mother said.

  Isabella could see the concern on their faces, but she’d figured that they’d have some strong opinions about her plans. She was ready for it—or at least she’d thought she was—but looking at them now she had to remind herself of why she was doing this.

  She took a few seconds to collect her words before she answered her mom’s question.

  “I suppose I could visit them another time, but I don’t know how I’m gonna feel right before school starts—and who knows what the actual year is going to be like? I can imagine that I might feel a little stressed with everything.”

  She was trying to justify her decision, and she reminded herself that she didn’t need to do that.

  “And—well, the truth is that I don’t want to wait. It’s important to me, and I can’t explain it but I think it’s important that I go now.”

  Her parents seemed to be taking in her words, not exactly looking convinced, but Isabella got the impression that they knew she was serious—that there’d be no convincing her to change her mind. She was resolute when it came to making decisions. Her parents had taught her that.

  “Well, it seems as if you’ve made your mind up then,” her father said.

  Isabella nodded. “I hope you both understand and will support me in my decision.” She looked at her mom, waiting for her response. “It really means a lot to me, you know.”

  Her mom got up to walk over and hug her.

  “Of course we support you. I’d like to think that your father and I raised you to make good decisions, and you’ve never let us down once. There’s no reason for us to think that you’re going to do that now. We might question you, but it’s only because we care about you and your future. You know that, right Isabella?”

  She nodded and hugged her mom back. “Thanks. I think I really needed to hear that from you guys. I’m not going to call about the internship until after I speak to Douglas tomorrow. I do need to have more information about this trust fund that’s coming—to make sure that I don’t need to worry about the financial aspect of giving up the job. That I wouldn’t do. Not with a year away at school right in front of me. I know my best earning potential is going to be over the summers when I’m not enrolled in classes. So it’s possible that the whole thing really will be a bust. I just want to be prepared either way.”

  “Well, it sounds like you’ve thought this all through.” Her father stood up and Isabella took a step to give him a hug.

  “I have, Dad. Really. I want you guys to trust me.”

  “We do, honey. You just let us know how your talk with Douglas goes tomorrow and we’ll take if from there.” Her dad smiled and hugged her tight.
/>   “I will. Thanks.”

  And just like that she felt another weight lift from her shoulders.

  Chapter 17

  For the second time that week, Isabella waited anxiously for her phone to ring. For the second time that week, Douglas was right on time with the phone call.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Isabella?”

  “Yes. Hi, Douglas.” She smiled as she said his name and hoped that he’d be able to tell how pleased she was that they were talking.

  “How are you doing?”

  “I’m great, thanks. How is everyone there?”

  “We’re all fine. We’ve been talking a lot about you—about our phone conversation the other day—and we hope that we didn’t overwhelm you.” He laughed.

  Isabella liked his laugh.

  “No, not at all. I’ve not been able to think of anything else since our conversation. It’s very exciting to talk to you all—to get to know you. And I think I have some good news—if Lia and Antonio are still okay with me coming for that visit?”

  “Yes, it’s all we’ve been talking about. We’d like the chance to meet you as soon as possible—again, not to overwhelm you, but it really is something we’ve been wanting for years. I want you to know that.” Isabella thought she could hear Gigi in the background. “Can you hear that?”

  “Is that Gigi?”

  “It is. She’s saying that you should come tomorrow.”

  Isabella laughed lightly. “Well, I’m not so sure about tomorrow, but I have been thinking about next week as a possibility…”

  “Really? That’s exactly what we were hoping. And we’ve talked to Blu. She’s ready to return any time.”

  “Blu?” Isabella was a little bit confused by the names being thrown around. She understood about her grandparents and she knew that Gigi had been like a nanny to Arianna—at least she was pretty sure that this was what she got from their earlier conversation. But she still wasn’t clear who this Blu person was. And Douglas mentioned her so casually—like she was part of one of their families.

  “Sorry. We keep talking to you as if you have an idea who we all are. Blu was a big part of your mother’s life. She was her best friend and knew her probably the best of any of us—well, aside from Gigi, I suppose. And Blu’s daughter is Jemma. She’s your age and staying here with Lia and Antonio right now. Jemma’s an artist.” Douglas stopped suddenly, laughing. “I’m sorry. There are so many gaps in all this for you. I just want to tell you everything, but of course we have time—lots of time if you’ll be coming here next week. How long will you be able to stay, do you think?”

  “I like hearing about everyone. Don’t apologize for that. It’s fun for me and only makes me more excited to meet you all. Okay, so about my coming. I suppose I do need to get some clarity on a few things. I’ll let you know upfront that I’d be giving up my internship—my summer job. Honestly, I can’t pass up the earnings—Oh, I’m going to Harvard in the fall, so I need the money for some of my living expenses, but I’ve decided it’s okay to not take the job if—” Isabella stopped herself from continuing. “Wow. I’m sorry. Now I’m going on and on.” She laughed.

  “Did you say you were going to Harvard?”

  “Yeah.” Isabella felt her face growing warm, which was funny, but at the same time she felt a bit self-conscious. She wasn’t one to brag and she didn’t normally volunteer information that would paint a certain type of picture of her with strangers.

  “Isabella. Honey, that’s incredible.”

  Isabella grinned at Douglas’s term of endearment, which for some reason seemed perfectly natural to her even though it was only the second time they’d ever spoken.

  “Thank you. I got a full scholarship, actually. Otherwise—well, there’s no way that I could have afforded to go there without one. But I—I do work very hard in school, getting good grades and all.”

  “I guess so. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

  Isabella couldn’t explain it, but she liked the idea of Douglas being proud of her. Just the thought of it already made her feel good.

  “Thanks. But so anyway—about the job. I guess I—I’m just wondering about this trust fund you’ve been talking about. Oh, sorry. It feels weird asking about that. Honestly, I hope you all know that it’s not about any money—that none of this is about the money for me. But—but it’s something that I need to find out about if I really am going to give up this job. That’s all.”

  There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line and for a split second, Isabella wondered if she’d made a mistake.

  Finally, Douglas was clearing his throat. Isabella waited for him to speak.

  “Sorry. Isabella, I swear I get more emotional the older I get. My wife says that I’m the biggest softie she knows. She’s made me that way in part, I guess.”

  Isabella smiled because she heard a sound that could only be Gigi’s lips against his cheek.

  “So, Arianna had taken great care before she died to set up her will. As her attorney, I helped her with that and I’d helped her father before that. Oh, this is so much to tell you over the phone—it would be better in person, but I want this to at least make some sense to you. Do you have time now? I think this might take more than a few minutes.”

  “Yes, of course. Take all the time you need.”

  Isabella settled back into her chair as she listened while Douglas told her that Arianna had also been adopted—that she’d only met Isabella’s grandmother the year that she died and that Arianna and Antonio, her father, had never had the chance to meet. He told her about Arianna’s own adoptive parents dying in the plane crash and then he told her about the vast wealth that she’d inherited.

  By the time Douglas had gotten to the point of telling Isabella that the amount of money Arianna had left her would be more than what she’d ever need to live on for the rest of her life, Isabella was shattered, tears streaming down her face—beside herself with a crazy mix of emotions. It was all so much to take in, and it only left her more in awe for this woman who’d been her mother—for the care that she’d taken to be sure that Isabella would be more than cared for by this crazy amount of money she’d left her.

  “Isabella?” Douglas was speaking quietly in her ear on the other end of the phone line. “Are you still there, honey? I’m so sorry to blurt all of this out to you over the phone. I’m sure it’s a lot to take in.”

  “I’m here.” Isabella’s voice was quiet also as she struggled to speak through her tears. “I just can’t—it’s all so much to take in. I had no idea—no idea about any of this. Thank you, Douglas—for sharing all this with me. It’s really helping with the puzzle pieces and some of the questions that I’ve had ever since I found out that Arianna—that my mother had passed away. And the money—just wow. I can’t even comprehend what you’re telling me about that. I’m sure it will take a while to all sink in, but for now you’ve given me the answer that satisfies the remaining question I had about leaving this summer job behind. Oh, well, I guess there’s one other thing I should tell you…”

  Isabella wasn’t even sure it was worth mentioning her fear of flying, but what if she really couldn’t go through with it—when it came right down to getting on that plane? She took a deep breath in. No. She’d never let that happen. Not any more. Meeting them, hearing about Arianna, and seeing pictures of her mother would make every bit of that flight worth it, no matter how difficult it would be for her.

  “What is it, Isabella? I know you don’t know me well yet, but you can trust me. I just need for you to know that. Whatever misgivings or questions you might have, we’re all here to make this as easy for you as we can. We’ll never stop doing that for you, honey. The thing that was the most important to Arianna those last days of her life was a promise we all made to her—that one day we’d find you and tell you about her—that you’d know how much she loved you from the moment you were born.”

  Isabella felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was o
verwhelmed by everything that she’d just learned—and by the words from this man whom she trusted so completely. She took a few deep breaths, not trusting herself to speak yet.

  “Isabella? Are you there? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m here. Sorry, I’m trying to pull myself together enough to speak.” She laughed lightly, willing the tears to stop so that she could answer Douglas’s question. She wanted to be completely honest with him—with all of them. She knew without a doubt that it would be the most important decision she could make as she moved forward with everything.

  “It’s okay. Take your time.”

  And she knew everything was going to be okay—more than okay. She took one more big breath in before she spoke.

  “So the only other thing—and I should say that it’s not going to keep me from coming, so I’m not even sure why I’m telling you this—is that I have this issue with anxiety sometimes. It’s something I’ve really been working on, but I—I’ve always had this pretty intense fear of flying. I’ve never flown before actually and, well, it’s just something that’s making me a little apprehensive. But like I said, I’m not going to let it stop me. I figure I’ll get some Valium or something that should help from my doctor and I—”

  She stopped to take a breath and could hear what sounded like quiet words between Douglas and someone else on the other end of the phone line.

  “Isabella, I have an idea if you’re game for it,” said Douglas.

  “Okay. I’m all ears if you know a special trick that will help me with this flying business.” She laughed and waited for him to continue.

  “I have to fly to Guatemala—back to the orphanage—tomorrow for a few days and then I could come to you. We can fly together to Italy, so at least you won’t be alone on the flight. What do you think?”

  “Really? You would do that? And wait—what do you mean by the orphanage?” Isabella laughed. There was so much to learn about these people who had suddenly come into her life; already she found them all incredibly fascinating.